Outdated Factories (Rebuilding)

HC Deb 19 March 1969 vol 780 cc480-2

25. Mr. Costain

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will grant industrial development certificates in London, the Midlands and the South East of England for the rebuilding of existing outdated factories in order to increase efficiency where no increase in employment is involved.

Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody

The Board of Trade is normally prepared to grant industrial development certificates in such cases.

Mr. Costain

Is the hon. Lady aware that that reply will be received with some satisfaction? Will she give some publicity to the fact?

Mrs. Dunwoody

I should be delighted to give publicity to the fact that the Board of Trade is anxious to do anything which will assist the modernisation and equipment of industry. It is not this side of the House that seeks to misrepresent i.d.c. policy.

Mr. Roy Hughes

Does my hon. Friend appreciate that this is really the question of the allocation of resources, which are very unevenly distributed at present? Will she, therefore, offer the owners of these outdated factories development certificates for new factories in South Wales, Scotland and the North of England?

Mrs. Dunwoody

I shall be delighted to see as many industrialists as possible who are looking for modern factories moving into them—and, of course, in the development areas if we can so encourage them. It is a source of great pleasure to me that we now have only one empty advance factory in the whole of Wales.

Sir K. Joseph

Does the hon. Lady think that she has said anything new this afternoon? The positive emphasis she gave in that Answer is very encouraging. Is it a new development in any way, or is she relying perhaps excessively on a verbal definition of "outdated"? Are we to understand in answer to my hon. Friend's Question that factories which require rebuilding to accept modernised plants are given i.d.c.s for that purpose?

Mrs. Dunwoody

I am not enunciating any new policy, and I am grateful for the chance to make this clear. The Board of Trade has always said that where modernisation plans could be brought forward that did not include an increase in employment—and this is one of the vital points—we should obviously be prepared to issue industrial development certificates in those circumstances. But there is a completely schizoid approach to this matter among hon. Members opposite. Those who come from development areas say that we should be doing more, while those from the Midlands, particularly the West Midlands, and the South-East say that we are doing all we can to hold up the modernisation of industry, which is simply not so.

Sir Harmar Nicholls

However satisfied or dissatisfied development areas might be about the allocation of certificates, is the hon. Lady aware that the new towns, particularly those based upon the old conurbations, feel that they are not having their proper priority?

Mrs. Dunwoody

I do not accept that. When development areas have continuingly high unemployment figures, it is extremely difficult to provide enough movement in industry always to be able to match up exactly the amount of employment and the houses available in the new towns. The hon. Gentleman should speak to some of his friends in the conurbations and get them to move to new towns. We should be pleased to see that happen.